JB of Milwaukee shows off a draw

This always cracks me up.  The first time I ever rolled because I actually HAD to roll was the result of being silly. I was doing a simple draw or as I like to say, “pulling my boat sideways”, and I brought my paddle in right next to my hull and SPLOOOSH!  I didn’t know the solution to that little predicament was the simple art of letting go!  

If you come down to the river
I bet you gonna find some people who live
You dont have to worry if you got no money
People on the river are happy to give
-j. c. forgety

Well, there have certainly been a lot of cross-dressers, no wait, I meant “cross-paddlers” around these days.  If you’re still a “no-current” type sea kayaker you’re really missing out on something, and it’s more than just the fun.

Here in the Midwest it’s easy for a sea paddler to overlook current. The Great Lakes are just inland seas in many ways but one thing they do lack is the type of tidal variances that cause strong currents. Great Lakes paddlers can surf, but they don’t get a lot of experience in tidal currents, races and over-falls. So Midwest paddlers with a mind toward ocean paddling have to find other ways to build up their skills in dynamic water. The simple answer is river paddling.

Ok so I went through all that work building a balance board, when all I had to do was wait for this. . .

I was reading an article in an Australian newspaper the other day that was quite similar to the ones we’ve been reading around here the last couple years.  They are finding themselves trying desperately to raise issues of safely in a fast growing kayak market.  It’s no surprise really that they are spending most of their time referring to weekend warriors in sit-on-tops and rec boats.   We are well aware of course that the problem is that these boats are usually purchased in stores that do little or nothing to address the safety of their customers.  Soon enough we end up reading about paddlers without pfds or rec boats in situations they should never be in.  Thing is, what do we do? 

Lord, hey,
while you’re down there
lookin’ up my nose,
yeah,
child you’re gettin’ mighty like a rose.
- van morrison

Nothing like an evening in the water to clear your head. The only draw back was forgetting my skirt!!  Oh, well regardless of what many new paddlers may have heard, you can roll without a skirt.  In fact it’s often easier. However it’s similar to rolling a loaded kayak in that your moves have to be slow and go with the natural motion of the kayak.  You can’t really "muscle" a flooded kayak.  Something interesting with the Rockpool Alaw Bach is that it really does not want to sit upside down without a paddler in it.  Empty it sits a bit on an angle.  There is a suprising upside to this behavior, It’s hard to fill with water.  Amazingly I could roll all evening without a skirt on the boat and never flood the cockpit more than 50% or less. Now if I sat on the back on the other hand. . . .

Taking it all into consideration
Love’s a game I never win.
I’ve been in very simil’r situations,
Again and again and again.
- macca